Like Pink Champagne
by dulcissime
Summary: A continuation of the end of season one, in which the world falls back into order.
1. Chapter 1

Like Pink Champagne

A Veronica Mars Fanfic for auchic by paperperfect

Rating: PG13-R for language, violence, adult content

Ships: Veronica/Logan

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters mentioned in this story. They are the property of Rob Thomas.

So, picking up from where the finale left off: Veronica is standing in her doorway, smiling up at…

Logan's expression of worry softened and he put his arms around me.

"You were expecting maybe the milkman?" He tried to joke, but I could see the concern in his eyes. I have yet to meet a boy with a decent poker face. "I had to go to the station; they told me everything. I can't believe that BASTARD—my own FATHER… I hope he rots in prison." Logan ran his hands over my shoulders. As his fingers grazed a bruise, I couldn't suppress a wince of pain.

"Come on," I said. "Let's not stand in the doorway." I let him in and latched the door, eyes scanning the less-than-tidy living room. It looks like Mom rampaged a bit after I went to sleep. I wouldn't know, exactly; after what happened, I probably could have slept through the end of the world. I noted Logan's shuffled, stumbling footsteps and realized he was drunk. Which explained a lot, really: the anger (actually, the anger would have been expected even without an alcoholic influence), the inability to finish sentences, and the way he toppled ungracefully onto the couch.

"Huh-uh, you are not passing out in the living room." I grabbed his arm and Logan grumbled a bit as I tried to hoist him up, then managed to get his feet under him. I led him down the hall and allowed him to collapse on my bed. I went to find some aspirin, and by the time I returned he was sleeping like a baby. Well, a six-foot-something, hundred-and-sixty-odd pound baby. He looked liked a model of innocence. I couldn't resist; I curled up beside him and succumbed to my exhaustion.

I woke to sunlight filtering through the curtains and an empty bed. At first I found it hard to place the significance of this, and then images of the night before came flooding back to me. I shuddered, feeling very unlike myself.

I walked unsteadily down the hallway to find Logan staring fixedly at the tv. It was turned to the local news channel, and was reporting on Aaron Echolls' arrest. I picked up the remote from the coffee table and pressed power. Logan looked up at me slowly, not surprised, but with an almost vacant expression. I sat down next to him on the couch. Our foreheads touched gently.

"Morning." I murmured, trying to find my voice.

Logan simply put his arms around me. He didn't cry, but he was trembling. It was during this touching moment that I realized Dad's briefcase was lying amid the clutter on the coffee table, and it was open. There was a sudden, sick, swooping feeling in my stomach, and something in the back of my mind began to scream. I resisted my immediate instinct to rummage through the contents of the briefcase. I half-knew I wouldn't find the check there, the check from the Kane family that would have paid for my college, the check that would have replaced all the money I spent on Mom for her failed treatment. Yes, part of me knew Mom had run off with the money, but another part of me was holding Logan, who wasn't trembling anymore, and who was taking deep breaths and sitting up. I could deal with the loss of the money later. Right now, Logan needed me.

The world did not recover quickly from the discovery of Mr. Echolls as Lilly's murderer. It changed things, though. For one, Abel Koontz was released from prison. His daughter made certain that he was admitted to one of the top hospitals, and his medical bills were covered as an apology. For another, Dad was reinstated as sheriff after he'd recovered from his wounds. His first act was to put out a warrant for Mom's arrest. I'd told him of my suspicions concerning the check. He'd kept his cool in front of me, but a few days later Wallace told me he had overheard Dad talking to Alysha about the incident, and not sounding happy about it. Well. That's my father for you. Personally, I gave up on Mom. I think I was a fool to try and fix our tattered family. But Alysha and Dad get on well enough, and Wallace and I are getting over our initial disgust.

Logan and I spent the summer doing summery-couple things. He and Duncan are back on good terms, but they still aren't the best of friends. I suppose I'm partly to blame for that. Relationships make friendships difficult, to say the least. So Logan and I didn't see too much of Duncan and Meg. That hurt a little bit, but from what I heard, Duncan and Meg were on the rocks with their relationship anyway. I didn't want to put any more strain on them.

Logan's half-sister, Trina, took over as his guardian, though he hardly needed one. He hired someone to manage his money and set him a monthly budget. The majority of our time together was on his yacht, or in air-conditioned movie theaters, or on the beach with Backup. Summer was happy, and sped past in the way summers tend to do. All too soon it was the first day of senior year back at Neptune High.

Well, here we go, I thought to myself. Here's the real test. Was I going to be accepted back into polite society, or forever shunned like the friendless female character in every soap opera ever made?

Logan drove me to school. I didn't catch any strange looks in the parking lot as we walked towards the building, his arm around my waist. Nor did anyone faint away from shock as he kissed me in the main hallway when we parted for class. Meg was in my first class, English. When I sat next to her, she looked at me dully. Somehow I think the cartoon birds skipped out on her this morning, because she was far from her perky self.

"Meg, you okay?" I asked. She blinked.

"Oh, Duncan broke things off, but I'm fine." She said, waving a hand and feigning nonchalance.

"God Meg, I'm sorry. He didn't give you any reasons, did he?"

"No, of course not." Her voice was bitter now. I opened my mouth to respond, but the bell chose that opportune moment to ring, and the teacher set in with the usual first-day-of-school schpeal. I didn't get a chance to finish digging into her problems, but maybe that was for the best. The last thing I need is for Meg to turn against me just when everyone else is welcoming me back.

Logan found me at lunch, sitting with Wallace out of habit. He didn't invite me past the velvet ropes to the table we shared with Lilly and Duncan and the rest of the best of the best. Instead, he came over and sat next to me, in such a way that I knew he wanted everyone to see him, sitting next to me, loyal boyfriend. It was touching. I kissed him soundly on the mouth, then looked over at the old table. Duncan was sitting sullenly with the others. Meg was nowhere to be seen. I couldn't help but turn away when Duncan raised his gaze towards me and Logan. I am not going to be responsible for messing him up.


	2. filler edited

wow! I have readers! I'm amazed and very happy :) sorry it's taking me so long to update again, but I want it to be a good long chapter of quality writing… I'm my own worst critic, of course. thank you to everyone who left a review! I will try to finish up this next chapter as soon as possible, but I'm a little busy right now. I joined a Vmars roleplay on livejournal as Veronica, so that's fun. we're still slow though, and we need a Duncan, a Wallace, a Meg, some 09-ers, and a Keith. if any of you are interested, go check it out! it's helping me get my Vmars fix until the reruns are over. I was going to give you a link, but it looks like fanfictiondotnetdeletes them. the name of the community is veronicam(underscore)rpg, if you type that in the search box on livejournal you'll find it.


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